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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · present · bound · pitcher · clip · chair · deal · key

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. scale — size or range
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. present — there
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — in music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — to cut
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. present — the time now
  19. key — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. key — for a lock
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com